USDA-ARS Post-Bachelor's Internship in Software Engineering for Computational Biology

Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education; Ames (IA); On-site; USD 55,572 - 87,440; Full time

Job summary

Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education in Ames, Iowa, offers a full-time research participation opportunity focused on computational tool development for soybean and legume data. You will help curate, prepare, and validate data within a Unix environment and collaborate across databases to advance germplasm insights.

The appointment starts October 2026 for one year, with potential renewal based on funding and performance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or comparable field, received within the last five years.
• Knowledge of genomic sequence analysis concepts is desirable.
• Unix scripting and at least one scripting language (Python, Perl, awk, or R) to handle genomic data.

Responsibilities

• Apply software engineering methods to support online computational tools for data curation, preparation, and validation.

Skills

Genomic analysis

Plant genetics

Unix scripting

Python

Perl

AWK

R

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Job description

How To Apply

To submit your application, scroll to the bottom of this opportunity and click APPLY.

Application Requirements

• An application
• Transcript(s) – For this opportunity, an unofficial transcript or copy of the student academic records printed by the applicant or by academic advisors from internal institution systems may be submitted. Click here for detailed information about acceptable transcripts.
• A current resume/CV, including academic history, employment history, relevant experiences, and publication list
• Two educational or professional recommendations

Organization

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Reference Code

USDA-ARS-MWA-2026-0287

Application Deadline

8/28/2026 3:00:00 PM Eastern Time Zone

Position Overview

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.

The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific in‑house research agency with a mission to find solutions to agricultural problems that affect Americans every day from field to table. ARS will deliver cutting‑edge, scientific tools and innovative solutions for American farmers, producers, industry, and communities to support the nourishment and well‑being of all people; sustain our nation’s agroecosystems and natural resources; and ensure the economic competitiveness and excellence of our agriculture. The vision of the agency is to provide global leadership in agricultural discoveries through scientific excellence.

The mission of the USDA-ARS Corn Insects and Crop Genetics Research Unit (CICGRU) in Ames, Iowa, is to increase crop productivity and sustainability. The unit achieves this through basic and applied research focused on managing insect pests, improving crop genetics, and studying host‑pathogen interactions in cereals and legumes.

Research Project

The USDA research project that you will be a part of has a mission to provide stewardship of soybean and other major legume genetic, genomic, and phenotypic datasets, to support research and crop improvement. Basic and applied research is also conducted within this project. You will focus on computational tool development to aid in project curation of published biological data, and also to better integrate with other USDA genetic database projects, including GRIN‑Global. This will help breeders and researchers to make better use of germplasm data at the ARS germplasm repository, and to utilize software development across the Agency. This opportunity will mostly be conducted in a Unix environment and on high‑performance computing equipment.

Learning Objectives

• Apply methods in software engineering in support of online computational tools such as data curation, preparation, and validation.

Mentor(s)

The mentor for this opportunity is Steven Cannon ([e-mail]). If you have questions about the nature of the research, please contact the mentor(s).

Appointment Start Date

October 2026 (start date is flexible and will depend on a variety of factors).

Appointment Length

The appointment will initially be for one year, but may be renewed upon recommendation of ARS and is contingent on the availability of funds.

Level of Participation

The appointment is full time.

Participant Stipend

The participant will receive a monthly stipend commensurate with educational level and experience. The anticipated stipend range is $55,572–$87,440 annually.

Citizenship Requirements

This opportunity is available to U.S. citizens only.

ORISE Information

This program, administered by ORAU through its contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to manage the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), was established through an interagency agreement between DOE and ARS. Participants do not become employees of USDA, ARS, DOE or the program administrator, and there are no employment‑related benefits. Proof of health insurance is required for participation in this program. Health insurance can be obtained through ORISE.

Questions

Please visit our Program Website. After reading, if you have additional questions about the application process, please email [e-mail] and include the reference code for this opportunity.

Qualifications

The qualified candidate should have received a bachelor's degree in one of the relevant fields (Computer Science, Software Engineering, or comparable field). The degree must have been received within the past five years.

Preferred Skills

• Knowledge of basic concepts in genomic sequence analysis and plant genetics.
• Unix scripting, knowledge of a scripting language such as Python, Perl, awk, or R, and knowledge of core formats and methods for handling genomic sequence and gene annotation data.

Point of Contact

Sara Beth

Eligibility Requirements

• Citizenship: U.S. Citizen Only
• Degree: Bachelor's Degree received within the last 60 months.
• Discipline(s):
  • Computer, Information, and Data Sciences – Artificial Intelligence (including Robotics, Computer Vision, Human Language Processing, and Machine Learning)
  • Computer Science (general)
  • Databases, Information Retrieval, and Web Search
  • Human Computer Interaction
  • Operating Systems and Middleware
  • Scientific Computing and Informatics
  • Software Engineering
• Life Health and Medical Sciences
• Veteran Status: Veterans Preference, degree received within the last 120 months.